Readings

Original poems

The Friend Who Knew

You knew the older versions of me,
the bad haircut,
the wrong turn,
the joke before it was finished.

A friend can hold
years no photograph explains.

I miss being known
in exactly that way.

Still in the Story

I reach the part of a story
where you always laughed
and hear the space
where the laugh should be.

Still, the story is ours.
I will keep telling it,
and you will keep appearing
right where you always did.

Collection lens

What this poem collection is trying to hold

This collection centers chosen history, inside jokes, shared places and the grief of losing someone who held a particular version of you. That focus is deliberate: relationship-specific verse should do more than replace “mother” with “father” or “dog” with “cat.” The imagery, emotional distance and details should change with the relationship itself.

Best suited to

a friend’s funeral reading, memory book or friendship anniversary.

Watch for

Competing with family grief or exposing confidences.

Personalization test

Before using a poem publicly, identify one image or line that matches the person you are remembering. If none of the imagery fits, choose another poem rather than forcing the relationship label to do all the work.

Use it well

Prepare this collection for its actual setting

  • Read it aloud before choosing it; spoken rhythm matters at a service.
  • For private use, adapt a line with a name, place, habit, or detail that belongs to the person.
  • If a venue, celebrant, publication, or livestream needs text in advance, send the final version early.
  • Do not attach a famous author’s name to an anonymous or rewritten poem.